i live in Ohio, and it seems that the soil around my home is very hard/clay like. I can't seem to get anything to grow except a lilac tree. Actually, I planted two and only one survived. I then tried a rhodadendron which is not looking good so far this year. I have planted these with plenty of space and a mixture of peat and rich soil when I first planted last year. I am looking for suggestions on some other perennials I might try or any other suggestions. I do not have a green thumb either, so I like things that are low maintenance! Thanks!

Parts of my yard is the most awful grey clay soil I have ever seen, so I know where you are coming from. The first thing I did was to raise the flower beds so that drainage would be better and the soil could be improved at the same time. I made these beds in the fall using the lasagna gardening method and then planted the following spring. If you have never heard of the lasagna gardening method, check out this website for the basics http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

If you don't want to go this route, I would recommend adding lots of compost to your soil. Compost is better than peat moss when it comes to ammending clay soil. Peat moss tends to harden in clay soil, which is not what you want. I also mix in shredded leaves and grass clippings when I have them, but with the lasagna gardening method, all you do is layer organic matter on top of the existing soil and the worms do the work for you...that's why you prepare the bed in the fall and plant in the spring.

For shrubs I have lilac, rose of sharon, rugosa roses, shrub roses, butterfly bush and ninebark growing in clay soil. For perennials I have clematis vines, echinacea (coneflowers), columbine, liatris, pin cushion flowers, creeping phlox, garden phlox and bee balm. I even have daffodils and alliums in this bed and they have done pretty well.

Every spring I work up the top few inches of the soil, add more compost and shredded wood mulch and that further improves the soil. It can take many years to get the soil in "perfect" condition. This will be the fourth growing season for this flowerbed and I am finally seeing signs of improvement, so don't get discouraged.

We got a tip from someone from OK on this board and added gypsum to our soil. Available Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.
Read the label for application rate.
Gypsum sure helped us with a trouble area to which we also added pelletized lime, compost, shredded material, top soil.
You might try the same around your foundation for landscaping. No one says you have to do it all at one time.
The goal is to break up the clay and to keep it broken.
We're here in central western PA. We know clay.

With the exception of along Lake Erie all of the soil I have seen in Ohio is clay and the only thing that clay needs is lots of organic matter. Peat moss, a non renewable resource, when addrd to soils will be there forever because the soil bacteria will not digest it, no nutrients, no food value, worthless as a soil amendment. Compost, leaf mold, the leaves from any deciduous (trees that loose their leaves every year) trees which are full of nutrients will amend the clay so the moisture and nutrients that are locked up in that clay are released for the plants to use. The caly in Ohio is not sodic so gypsum will do little to help and is a waste of your money.

thanks for your suggestions - I'll give it a whirl!

Another option where soil is poor and heavy clay is to plant in raised beds. That way you can create a bed of desirable soil on top of the poor soil.

Still another option is to plant native species that obviously do well in the area's native soil. These tend to be low maintenance and have a good history of survival. As we push for greater water conservation, more gardeners are going with xeriscaping and using native species.

If purchasing plants, you will need to purchase those appropriate for your growing zone and those that don't require well-drained soil. Plants that have tap roots can bust through clay in search of water.

Here's a list of plants that do well in clay. http://gardening.about.com/od/gardendesign/a/ClayPlants.htm

I have that clay soil also. In clay soil it can be hard for the plant's roots to break through and spread. When I plant a new shrub I dig the hole twice the size it needs to be. I use a little of the original soil, some potting soil, and a little manure and mix it all together in the hole. Adding the additional will bring the hole down to the size I need it. I always loosen the rootball of the plant before putting it in the ground. Then I build a "dam" using the soil (this is where the clay soil comes in real handy because the dam won't break down too fast) and water well. The dam will prevent the water from running off the plant instead of going down to the rootball. Mulch well but don't put the mulch directly against the plant's stem/trunk. Don't forget to water enough to keep the plant alive until the roots grab the soil and become more established. I've planted Glossy Abelia, Red-tip Photinia, Oleander, Crepe Myrtle, Nandina Domestica, Indian Hawthorne, and Yaupon Holly this way and they're all doing very well.

When you amend just the planting hole you create what is known as a bathtub, some place that has really good soil surrounded by a soil that will not alow water to flow easily adn the result is that this planting hole now gets lots of water with nowhere to go and often the plant there will drown. Another problem found is the the plants roots will grow out into this well amended soil and find the impervious soil and turn around and you get the same thing as a plant in a pot too long, roots circling in that well amended soil buut not growing into the unamended soil.

I live in Ohio too and struggle with the clay. My first (and biggest bed) I unfortunately didn't know enough about gardening when I made it. I didn't amend the soil at all, and I think I lost just about every plant. (except for my lilacs and burning bushes). every year i put down compost and use triple processed mulch to help amend the soil. 6 years later, it's starting to be great and i can grow almost anything.
daylilies seem to not mind what kind of soil they are in, so if you don't feel like amending your beds, try some of those.

Sorry, I just can't resist...What grows best in HARD, CLAY SOIL?....WEEDS & WILD BLACKBERRIES!

Now, I have it too...famous Ga. red clay! I even have found some orange & gray that I can't break with a pick. When I plant something, I dig the hole bigger than necessary & deeper and I make slotted holes w/trowel to encourage root growth out of the hole. I usually leave a bit of broken clay (1-2") in the bottom to get the roots headed down & then I amend only the top couple of inches so it can leach down w/water-rain and mulch WELL! It has been paying off...those areas are becoming much easier to work in! AND they don't seem to trap water this way! A couple of things that I have moved were NOT root bound in their holes...the roots had spread in what would appear to be a normal fashion.

It is quite possible that cmm could live about 20 miles from me. I know the gypsum idea helped the area in which we used it.
1. We removed all the soil (slimy, smelly stuff) at the municipal sewer connection area near the house). We did a 6x6x2plus foot area.
2. My job: break the clumps of wet clay as small as I could.
3. We made a mix of clay, top soil, compost, lime, gypsum, decomposed shredded leaves, and mixed and returned to area. Mixed more of the same and returned that to the area.
4. What died in that area prior now lived.
5. Conclusion: something worked.